Human papillomavirus type 16 E7-specific T-cell receptor (HPV-16 E7 TCR) (HPV-16 E7 TCR)

The Human papillomavirus type 16 E7-specific T-cell receptor (HPV-16 E7 TCR) is a therapeutic target used in adoptive T-cell therapy for the treatment of HPV-associated malignancies [2.1.1, 2.2.3]. This TCR is typically engineered into a patient's own CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to enable them to recognize and destroy cancer cells that constitutively express the HPV-16 E7 oncoprotein [2.1.1, 3.1.5]. The receptor specifically binds to E7 peptide fragments, most notably the E7:11-19 epitope, when presented by the MHC Class I molecule HLA-A*02:01 [2.3.1, 3.1.2]. Because E7 is a viral protein essential for the maintenance of the malignant phenotype and is not expressed in healthy human tissues, it serves as a highly specific target with a low risk of off-tumor toxicity [2.2.1, 3.1.3]. Clinical trials have shown that T cells engineered with this TCR can induce significant tumor regression in patients with metastatic, treatment-refractory HPV-positive epithelial cancers, such as cervical and oropharyngeal carcinomas [2.2.3, 3.1.1]. The therapy involves a lymphodepleting conditioning regimen followed by the infusion of the engineered T cells and adjuvant interleukin-2 (IL-2) to support T-cell expansion and persistence [2.2.4, 3.2.1]. Resistance to this therapy is often associated with tumor-intrinsic defects in antigen presentation, such as the loss of HLA-A*02:01 or B2M expression [2.2.2, 2.2.5]. Ongoing research focuses on optimizing manufacturing processes and identifying biomarkers to improve patient selection and therapeutic outcomes [2.2.1, 3.1.5].

Other names

HPV-16 E7-targeted TCRE7-specific T-cell receptorE7 TCRHPV-16 E7-specific HLA-A*02:01-restricted T-cell receptorHPV-16 E7-specific T-cell receptor

Adoptive cell transfer of T cells engineered to express a T-cell receptor (TCR) that recognizes HPV-16 E7 peptide-MHC complexes, leading to T-cell activation and tumor cell lysis.